Yesterday I posted about misconceptions we bring to Revelation.
So today, I want to give you some well-respected resources that have helped in my understanding of the book. These have been pivotal in my preparation for NUMB3RS. Here goes:
Top Five Resources For Studying Revelation
1. Ben Witherington’s Revelation Commentary from the New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Professor Witherington is a native North Carolinian who teaches at Asbury Seminary and holds what is known as the “historic premillenialist” view of the book (more on that on May 25). This commentary is both scholarly and accessible.
2. End Times Fiction by Gary DeMar. A strong answer to the phenomenon that is the Left Behind series of novels. An easy yet compelling read.
3. The Throne, The Lamb, & The Dragon by Paul Spilsbury. Spilsbury is a professor at the Canadian Bible College and has given the church a gift in the form of this short volume.
4. The Revelation Of Saint John by Ian Boxall in the Black’s New Testament Commentary series. I honestly didn’t expect much from this when I opened it. But I was wrong. Boxall is both academic and pastoral at the same time — in other words it is useful for study and for preaching.
5. Mickey Efird’s Revelation Bible Study. We taught this at Good Shepherd in 2006. Efird is folksy yet insightful. He’s a Presbyterian scholar who teaches at Duke Divinity School. Of all the resources, this is the most accessible for people beginning their study of Revelation.
That’s it. Good studying! Tomorrow, I’ll post a preview on the next NUMB3R: 0.